Shane Balkowitsch Explained

Shane Balkowitsch
Birth Date:24 January 1969
Birth Place:Bismarck, North Dakota
Nationality:American
Occupation:Wet plate photographer, and founder of Balkowitsch Enterprises

Shane Balkowitsch (;[1] born January 24, 1969) is an American wet plate photographer from Bismarck, North Dakota. Balkowitsch was given the name "Maa'ishda tehxixi Agu'agshi" ("Shadow Catcher") by Calvin Grinnell of the Hidatsa-Mandan-Arikara Nation on October 28, 2018.[2] [3] The subject of his photos is the human condition.[4] Since 2012 he has photographed over 5,034 individuals, including various celebrities[4] and historical figures.[5] Balkowitsch is a self-taught photographer.[6] [7] [8]

Career

Prior to beginning his career as a photographer, Balkowitsch founded Balkowitsch Enterprises, Inc. in 1998. He retired and sold the company in June 2023.[9]

In 2012, Balkowitsch began researching the process of wet plate photography after reading a manual on the subject by tintype photographer John Coffer. With little experience in photography, Balkowitsch experimented with the process and took his first successful photo the same year. Since then he has produced over 2,000 plates and his work has appeared in numerous publications. He holds demonstrations in North Dakota with the use of a portable darkroom.[10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Techniques

Balkowitsch uses an Italian made Alessandro Gibellini 8x10" folding camera in the studio. He uses Carl Zeiss Tessar 300mm and 360mm lenses.[15] Since 2012 studio sessions required 4500 watts of continuous light. For outdoor sessions the sunlight is enhanced with the help of reflectors. In 2018 Balkowitsch opened a new photography studio in Bismarck, North Dakota where natural light is exclusively used in studio.[16]

Recognition

Projects and exhibits

Murderer's Gulch, A non-historical Wet Plate Collaboration

In 2016 Balkowitsch set out to create an homage to the famous 1887 New York photo by Jacob Riis called the "Bandits Roost."[38] The objective was to get the look and feel in the present day using the historic collodion process with his models wearing very non-historical clothing.[39] The recreation project took place in East Alley near 423 E Broadway Ave in Bismarck, North Dakota on June 11. About 100 individuals volunteered to assist in the project volunteering hey, wood, props, costumes, and as actors for the image.[40] The final glass plate, titled, "Murderer's Gulch" is being curated by the Historical Society of North Dakota in their permanent archive.[6]

Dakota Access Pipeline dispute by Standing Rock Native community

On August 15, 2016, Balkowitsch travelled to Cannon Ball, ND, to capture images of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. The pipeline is to run less than one mile from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation of North Dakota and South Dakota. One of only a few photographers allowed at the scene of the protest, Balkowitsch captured images of the protesting encampment.[41] [42] The protest included many people Balkowitsch met during work on a photography project for the Historical Society of North Dakota, Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective.[43] [44] [45] [46] [47] The 2017 documentary film Awake: A Dream from Standing Rock by director Josh Fox features a wet plate by Balkowitsch of Floris White Bull who also appears in the film.[48] [49] The 2018 documentary film Peacekeeper also includes and credits wet plate images taken by Balkowitch during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.[50] In 2019 Balkowitschs' work No Spiritual Surrender was awarded Best Photograph by the North Dakota Human Rights Art Festival.[51]

The Persecution of Complete Strangers

A performance art event performed on August 27, 2016, The Persecution of Complete Strangers is a modern expression of a current event influenced by past images to visually express the continued xenophobia and resulting crimes against perceived enemies. The images are inspired by William Mortensen. The exhibit was created, directed, and photographed by Balkowitsch and dedicated to the memory of Hande Kader, a Turkish transgender woman whose body was found raped, mutilated, and burned by the roadside in the Zekeriyaköy up-market on August 12, 2016. It is part of the global outcry and protests against the hate, mistreatment, and irrational fear of transgender people.[52] [53]

The Mask Series, A Five Year Wet Plate Collodion International Collaboration

The Mask Series was started by Balkowitsch in 2012 after taking a very simple collodion image of a vintage Czech M10 gas mask and a wilting flower. He called the plate 'The Last Flower'. The goal for this series is to raise awareness of the historic wet plate technique as an art form. This will allow artists that normally do not have a chance to share their work to participate in a collaborated effort with other artists from around the world. Once an artist decides to participate and take up the challenge of creating an original work, a gas mask is sent to them. The artist then produces a wet plate collodion image of any size or type that works best for them. The Series is expected to be completed in 2017.[54] [55] [56] [57]

Northern Plains Native Americans Series, A Modern Wet Plate Perspective

Northern Plains Native Americans Series is an ongoing wet plate project inspired by the works of 19th Century wet plate photographers Mathew Brady, Edward S. Curtis, and Orlando Scott Goff. The first wet plate in the series is "Eternal Field," a 2014 wet plate photograph of Ernie Lapointe, the Great Grandson of Sitting Bull. The goal of the series is to capture one-thousand 8x10" black glass ambrotypes of Native American communities and individuals.[58] [59] [60] On November 3, 2017, the Bismarck Art Galleries Association hosted the reception of Balkowitsch’s photograph series, "Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective."[61] [62] In 2019 Balkowitsch published "Northern Plains Native Americans: A Wet Plate Perspective," the first volume of a multi-volume set that includes photographs from this series. On June 23, 2019 U.S. Rep. Debra Haaland, one of the first Native American women elected to the U.S. Congress, appeared as guest speaker at the photographer's book signing event in Bismarck.[63] [64] [65] [66] In 2021 Balkowitsch's plates of U.S. Rep. Debra Haaland appeared in the Fall 2021 issue of Sierra Magazine, including the cover image.[67] [68] [69]

Nostalgic Glass, A Natural Light Wet Plate Studio

In 2018 Balkowitch opened a new photography studio in Bismarck, North Dakota. The studio took two years to plan and eight months to construct.[16] According to Balkowitch, Nostalgic Glass is the first natural light wet plate studio built from the ground up in North America in over 100 years.[70] [71] [72]

Liberty Trudges Through Injustice, A Wet Plate Collodion Collaboration

Liberty Trudges Through Injustice, is a wet plate image created by Balkowitsch resulting from a collaboration event that took place in Bismarck, North Dakota on July 21, 2018. The collaboration was directed by Balkowitsch and inspired by the painting Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix.[73]

Nokota Horses, The Horse in North Dakota

Works by Balkowitsch were included in the "Horse in North Dakota" exhibit hosted by the North Dakota Heritage Center. The Nokota Horse Conservancy helps to preserve this breed of horse. Nokota Horse Conservancy promoters believe these horses are the descendants of those once owned by the Plains Indians. Today, there are approximately 800 worldwide.[74]

Northern Plains Native Americans: A Personal Collection

On August 25, 2018 the Rourke Art Museum hosted an exhibit called "Northern Plains Native Americans: A Personal Collection" that featured various works by Balkowitsch from his "Northern Plains Native Americans Series" collection. Balkowitsch also provided demonstrations on the art of traditional wet plate photography during the event.[75] [76] [77] [78] [79]

The Throne of Gods: A Wet Plate Collaboration

On July 20, 2019 Balkowitsch brought together more than 45 artists to recreate the 18th century painting 'The Olympians' by artist Nicolas-Andre Monsiau. The project took Balkowitsch more than 8 months to plan and is his largest collaboration project to date.[80]

No Vaccine for Death: A Wet Plate Collaboration

On July 17, 2021 more than 100 collaborators came together at the University of Mary’s Marian Grotto in Bismarck, North Dakota to create one of the largest wet-plate photographic collaborations in history. The final image, called 'No Vaccine for Death' was inspired by the painting 'Triumph of Death' by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, circa 1562.[81] [82] [83]

Controversy

Standing For Us All

In February 2020 a seven-foot mural of the work Standing For Us All by Balkowitsch was going to be displayed on the side of a bakery business in Bismarck, North Dakota. A Bismarck TV station reported on the planned mural and threats of vandalism and boycotts from the community followed.[84] The mural Liberty Trudges Through Injustice by Balkowitsch and on display in Bismarck since the Spring of 2019 was vandalized on February 13, 2020.[85] Standing For Us All is an image showing Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg looking off into the distance taken by Balkowitsch during Thunberg’s visit to Standing Rock Indian Reservation in October 2019. After plans to display the mural were cancelled in Bismarck, a former Fargo, North Dakota city commissioner spearheaded plans to bring the mural to the eastern North Dakota city.[86] The mural of Thunberg will go on permanent display in downtown Fargo in March 2020.[87]

Standing for Us All was featured in National Geographic Magazine on October 28, 2020.[88]

See also

Books

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Unedited Interview of Shane Balkowitsch by Phillip Litton at Nostalgic Glass Wet Plate Studio. . 3 June 2020.
  2. Web site: Shane Balkowitsch "Shadow Catcher" Native American Naming Ceremony by Calvin Grinnell . nostalgicglasswetplatestudio.zenfolio.com . 11 November 2018.
  3. Web site: Hagen . CS . To Be a Shadow Catcher . hpr1.com . 22 June 2019.
  4. Web site: Immortalizing Evander 'The Real Deal' Holyfield with a Wet Plate Portrait . Petapixel.com . 5 March 2015. 2016-09-18.
  5. Web site: White. Dustin. Quicksilver Captured in Silver: Virgil Hill. Mandan News. 27 February 2014.
  6. Web site: Jamie Council . Bronson Koenig in Standing Rock - Story | North Dakota | MyNDNow . Kxnet.com . 2016-09-18.
  7. Web site: Dobbins. Bill. The Wetplate Tradition Continues. onphotography.me. 5 March 2018.
  8. Web site: Dobbins . Bill . Closeup: Shane Balkowitsch Continues the Wet Plate Tradition . ai-ap.com . 30 August 2018.
  9. News: January 22, 2024 . Meet Shane Balkowitsch . August 19, 2024 . Canvas Rebel.
  10. Web site: Bismarck man to recreate historic Custer photograph . Bismarcktribune.com. 2016-09-18.
  11. Web site: Recreating a little piece of history . Mandan-news.com. 2016-09-18.
  12. Web site: Souls of Silver exhibit on at the Arts Center . Mandan-news.com. 2016-09-18.
  13. Web site: BALKOWITSCH'S 'IMMORTAL IMPRESSIONS' IN GLASS AND SILVER . Hpr1.com. 2016-09-18.
  14. Web site: Documenting ND pipeline protests with 'time-machine' tech . Inforum.com. 16 August 2016 . 2016-09-18.
  15. Web site: Balkowitsch's "immortal impressions" in glass and silver | High Plains Reader, Fargo ND . Hpr1.com . 2016-09-18.
  16. Web site: Kiernan . Kat . SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED: SHANE BALKOWITSCH'S NATURAL LIGHT COLLODION STUDIO . donttakepictures.com . 2 July 2019.
  17. Web site: 2014-P-025 Collections - Photographs - Archives Holdings - Archives - State Historical Society of North Dakota . History.nd.gov . 2016-09-18.
  18. Web site: Neil Thrun. | The Kansas City Star . Kansascity.com . 2015-02-01 . 2016-09-18.
  19. News: Olson . Chris . Souls of Silver exhibit on at the Arts Center . . 2015-01-15 . 2016-09-18.
  20. Web site: Memorial Union Gallery to feature photography exhibit - NDSU News (NDSU) . Ndsu.edu . 2014-08-01 . 2016-09-18.
  21. Web site: Alumni Awards | Bismarck State College . Bismarckstate.edu . 2016-09-18.
  22. Web site: Evans. Bo. Bismarck wet plate photographer's portrait of boxing legend headed to Smithsonian. kfyrtv.com. 18 January 2018.
  23. Web site: Harris. Bob. Smithsonian to get portrait of Evander Holyfield from Bismarck Photographer. kfgo.com. 18 January 2018.
  24. Web site: Comeau. Michael. Meet Wet Plate Photographer Shane Balkowitsch. onportraits.com. 18 January 2018.
  25. Web site: Evander Holyfield, "The Real Deal". npg.si.edu. 30 May 2018.
  26. Web site: Hagen . C.S. . To be a shadow catcher . hpr1.com . 2 July 2019.
  27. Web site: Burbank . Daniel . Local artist honored at Heritage Center for historic photography . kfyrtv.com . 1 July 2019.
  28. Web site: Rausch . Natasha . New book shows Native Americans are not extinct, New Mexico rep says at Bismarck event . inforum.com . 23 June 2019 . 1 July 2019.
  29. Web site: Kincaid . Will . One of first Native American congresswomen praises Bismarck photographer's portrait project . bismarcktribune.com . 1 July 2019.
  30. Web site: AP . Greta Thunberg's North Dakota photo is at national library . kxnet.com . 2 December 2019 . 3 December 2019.
  31. Web site: Associated Press . Greta Thunberg's North Dakota Photo Is at National Library . . 3 December 2019.
  32. Web site: Sisk . Amy . Photograph of climate activist at Standing Rock to be preserved at Library of Congress . bismarcktribune.com . 3 December 2019.
  33. Web site: Klar . Rebecca . Library of Congress archives photo of Greta Thunberg visiting Standing Rock . thehill.com . 3 December 2019 . 3 December 2019.
  34. Web site: "BALKOWITSCH" TO SCREEN AT HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL . human-family.org . 16 March 2020.
  35. Web site: Balkowitsch to premiere at NDHRFF 2019 . herhimandthefellas.com . 16 March 2020.
  36. Web site: Balkowitsch . imdb.com . 16 March 2020.
  37. Web site: Hagen . CS . Greta Thunberg mural intended for Bismarck now spotted across the globe . inforum.com . 21 February 2020 . 16 March 2020.
  38. Web site: Murderer's Gulch; a historic photo shoot . Midwestern Scout . 2016-07-19 . 2016-09-18.
  39. Web site: Shane Balkowitsch, Murderer's Gulch Wet Plate Collodion Collaboration . Sharoncol.balkowitsch.com . 2016-09-18.
  40. Web site: Midwest Communications Inc. . Shane Balkowitsch-Photographer of "Murderer's Gulch" | KFGO-790 . Kfgo.com . 2016-06-30 . 2016-09-18.
  41. Web site: Pangburn. DJ. Photographer Uses 166-Year-Old Process to Capture the Spirit of North Dakota. creators.vice.com. 8 March 2017.
  42. Web site: Keller. Jeff. Photographer uses 'antique' photo technique to illustrate struggles of Native Americans. dpreview.com. 17 June 2017.
  43. Web site: WATER AND OIL DO NOT MIX. Hpr1.com . 2016-09-18.
  44. Web site: Zenfolio | Nostalgic Glass Wet Plate Studio . Nostalgicglasswetplatestudio.zenfolio.com . 2016-09-18.
  45. Web site: Can't drink oil. Hpr1.com. 2016-09-18.
  46. Web site: Dau. Stephen. Stone Ghosts. consequencemagazine.org. 13 December 2016.
  47. Web site: Hagen. C.S.. Death by Oil: Remembering the Dakota 38. hpr1.com/. 25 December 2016.
  48. News: Arvol Looking Horse. Chief. Standing Rock is everywhere: one year later. The Guardian. 22 February 2018 . 5 March 2018.
  49. [Josh Fox]
  50. Web site: Peacekeeper . YouTube . PeacekeeperFilm . 22 July 2018.
  51. Web site: 2019 NORTH DAKOTA HUMAN RIGHTS ARTS FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED . human-family.org . 2 July 2019.
  52. Web site: The shocking murder of trans activist Hande Kader says much about Turkey today. Shafak . Elif . . August 23, 2016 . August 28, 2016.
  53. Web site: Giving a voice to the voiceless: The work of Shane Balkowitsch . Midwestern Scout . 2016-08-31 . 2016-09-18.
  54. Web site: Wet Plate Collodion International Collaborative Collection — . Wetplatemaskseries.com . 2016-09-18.
  55. Web site: Collaborative Project Using Gas Masks to Draw Attention to Wet Plate Photography . Petapixel.com . 5 April 2013. 2016-09-18.
  56. Web site: shane balkowitsch | Photography Contrastique - Alternative Photographic Processes . Contrastique.wordpress.com . 2013-01-03 . 2016-09-18.
  57. Web site: Wet Plate Collodion International Collaborative Collection "The Mask Series" « Photographers & People « . Alternativephotography.com . 2013-12-04 . 2016-09-18.
  58. Web site: Stewart . Jessica . Wet Plate Photographer Captures Powerful Portraits of Native Americans . mymodernmet.com . 4 July 2019 . 13 October 2019.
  59. Web site: Meadows. John. PASSION AND COMPASSION. johnmeadowsphotography.wordpress.com. 3 March 2017 . 8 March 2017.
  60. Web site: Eternal Field. digitalhorizonsonline.org. State Historical Society of North Dakota. 8 March 2017.
  61. Web site: Thompson. Darren. Northern Plains Indians: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective. powwows.com. 29 October 2017 . 6 November 2017.
  62. Web site: Hoffman. Megan. Artist uses old-fashioned photography for Native American collection. kfyrtv.com. 6 November 2017.
  63. Web site: Dura . Jack . One of first Native American congresswomen to speak at photographer's book signing . bismarcktribune.com . 22 June 2019.
  64. Web site: Natasha . Natasha . Sunday event celebrates American Indian photos captured in old way for new book . westfargopioneer.com . 22 June 2019.
  65. Web site: Ogden . Eloise . 'Image maker' event set . minotdailynews.com . 22 June 2019.
  66. Web site: Milburn . Sonji . First Native American women ever elected to Congress spoke at a local book signing . kxnet.com . 23 June 2019 . 1 July 2019.
  67. Web site: Monet . Jenni . Deb Haaland, A Living Testament: The path to becoming the nation's first Native interior secretary . www.sierraclub.org/ . 5 November 2021.
  68. Web site: Mark . Jason . Seeds of Resistance: Native-led campaigns are at the forefront of today's climate and justice movements . www.sierraclub.org . 5 November 2021.
  69. Web site: Sierra: Fall 2021 . www.sierraclub.org . 5 November 2021.
  70. Web site: Wachter. Jessica. Shane Balkowitsch, Preserving the Process of 1800s Portraiture. issuu.com. 28 May 2018.
  71. Web site: Hoffman. Megan. Only natural light wet plate studio in North Dakota completed. kfyrtv.com. 28 May 2018.
  72. Web site: Forsomethingmore . Shane Balkowitsch: Reviving a Lost Art at Nostalgic Glass Wet Plate Photography Studio . forsomethingmore.com . 8 January 2019 . 2 July 2019.
  73. Web site: Hornung . Sabrina . A TRICK OF THE LIGHT . hpr1.com . 18 August 2018.
  74. Web site: THE HORSE IN NORTH DAKOTA . statemuseum.nd.gov . 30 August 2018.
  75. Web site: Reception and Demo with Shane Balkowitsch at Rourke Art Museum . theartspartnership.net . 30 August 2018.
  76. Web site: Northern Plains Native Americans : A Personal Collection . therourke.org . 30 August 2018.
  77. Web site: Harris . Bob . Shane Balkowitsch "Northern Plains Native Americans" at the Rourke Saturday . /kfgo.com . 30 August 2018.
  78. Web site: Lamb . John . Reframing history: ND photographer's American Indian portrait series coming to Rourke . inforum.com . 30 August 2018.
  79. Web site: Ogden . Eloise . Image Maker Event Set . minotdailynews.com . 2 July 2019.
  80. Web site: Burbank . Daniel . More than 45 North Dakotan artists recreating an 18th century painting . kfyrtv.com . 14 October 2019.
  81. Web site: This Wet Plate Photo Took the Collaboration of 90 People to Produce . petapixel.com/ . 6 August 2021 . 16 August 2021.
  82. Web site: Olsen . W. Scott . Bismarck's Shane Balkowitsch makes photographic history with wet-plate collaboration . inforum.com/ . 18 July 2021 . 16 August 2021.
  83. Web site: Ascherman . Herbert . The Making of No Vaccine for Death . journal.photomuse.in/ . 16 August 2021.
  84. Web site: Armus . Teo . Greta Thunberg mural plan falls to threats of vandalism and boycott in Bismarck, N.D. . washingtonpost.com . 16 March 2020.
  85. Web site: Hagen . CS . Nixed in Bismarck after backlash, Greta Thunberg mural appears destined for Fargo . inforum.com . 16 March 2020.
  86. Web site: Rebuffed in Bismarck Thunberg mural likely headed to Fargo . twincities.com . 16 March 2020.
  87. Web site: Thunberg mural to be permanently displayed in downtown Fargo . kfgo.com . 16 March 2020.
  88. Web site: Whang . Oliver . Greta Thunberg reflects on living through multiple crises in a 'post-truth society . https://web.archive.org/web/20201029081030/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2020/10/greta-thunberg-reflects-on-living-through-multiple-crises-post-truth-society/ . dead . October 29, 2020 . nationalgeographic.com . 1 November 2020.
  89. Book: Balkowitsch . Shane . Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective . October 31, 2019 . Glitterati Incorporated . New York . 978-1943876082 . 128 . 1 July 2019.
  90. Web site: Hagen . C.S. . A warrior in his lifetime: photographic book of natives receives more than acclaim . hpr1.com . 1 July 2019.

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